The First Voyage
by Senira
Summary: Jim, along with his first mate Reynolds, have been hired to retrieve some items from a wrecked ship. But a trap has been set, and when Jim's ship is stolen will he get back back home or will he be trapped in space forever? (Treasure Planet Fic)
1. The Young and the Restless

Three weeks. Three weeks, and not a job in sight. Jim Hawkins sighed and tapped his pencil absently against the inn table. Three weeks since he'd graduated the academy and still no one had offered his ship a commission. But why? He'd graduated in the top of his class, and though he may have been a bit green toward his new position as captain, he was hardly new to Spacing. He'd fought with pirates, for goodness sake! Okay, so maybe he only _really_ fought with two pirates, one of whom ended up saving his life in the end. And so what if that last pirate was his best friend? It still counted damn it, so why wasn't he being hired? 

He slammed his fist on the table and buried his face in his hands just as his mother, Sarah Hawkins, came swirling into the room. Bundled in her arms were piles of sopping wet clothing. She eyed Jim, noticed his mood and sighed. 

"Honestly Jim, if you're that worried about getting a job, why don't you just go to Crescentia and rent yourself out there? Montressor isn't exactly the first place people think of when they want to hire a captain." 

"Yeah, I know, but I want to stay here for a while! I've been gone four years mom; the least I can do is spend a few weeks with you." 

Sarah smiled and walked over to her son. Twisting around so as not to smack him with wet laundry she lowered and planted a kiss on his forehead. 

"Jim honey, I'm glad that you want to stay with us, but not if it makes you miserable! Go to Crescentia, find some work. There'll be plenty of time to spend together after you come back." 

"But mom-" 

"Besides, what about that guy you graduated with, Rene or something? Isn't he your first mate? What does _he_ think?" 

"Reynolds, and I think he wants to stay on ground as long as possible. He's terrified at the thought of his first mission. Can't say I blame him. Going it alone right out of school is not something most cadets do. 

"Well, most cadets didn't help their entire crew escape an exploding planet their first time in space." 

"Mom-" 

She smiled at him. "Seriously Jim, get hired, find a crew and go have some fun. I'll be the first to congratulate you when you get back." 

"You _really_ don't-" 

"No, I don't mind. Just say goodbye to everyone before you go. I'm going to hang this laundry. I'm out back if you need me." 

She departed out the back door, leaving Jim alone to sort out his thoughts. Finally he pushed himself out of the chair, gave the room a wistful glance and headed up the stairs. 

****** 

After two nights of harried packing, hasty goodbyes and generous words of encouragement Jim stood, luggage in hand, at the transport bay on Crescentia. He'd already arranged everything with Reynolds, and all that was left now was to wait for his fellow human to arrive. He didn't have to wait long, however; Jim had scarcely reached the end of the dock when someone latched onto his arm and he came face-to-face with a grinning teenager. Jim grinned as he recognized his first mate. 

"Reno, what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for about two more hours!" 

He brushed his bangs from his eyes. "Yeah, but my planet's so much farther away I got an early ride to get here. Turned out the solar winds weren't as bad as the news said they were gonna be, 'cause we got here alot earlier than I planned. I've been here since about seven or so. I went ahead and got us a room at an inn; I hope you don't mind." 

"Oh no, that's fine. I don't think I could handle carrying this luggage for much longer. My hand's starting to spasm." 

Reynolds grinned and relieved him of one of the heavier suitcases. He staggered as soon as his palm closed around the handle. 

"Well what did you expect?" Jim asked. "My mom helped me pack! I think I have enough pairs of underwear in there to last me through the rest of my career." 

They both laughed and Reynolds hailed a carriage to take them to the inn. As they neared it, Jim couldn't help but notice that the streets around the place didn't look at all reputable, nor did those who traversed them. He shrank back into the carriage and waited until they'd reached their destination, the Odetts Inn. 

_'This place is no Benbow'_ Were Jim's first thoughts as he set foot within the inn. He let out a whoosh of air as his nose caught whiff of the heavy, sweaty smell being given off by the closely packed patrons. The door closed behind them and Jim allowed himself a moment to adjust to the dim lighting before proceeding further. Much to his dismay, the Inn's patrons didn't look much better than they smelled; these were definitely not people he would want to meet alone at night. Reynolds saw the look on his face and winced. 

"Hey, don't look so down about the place! The rooms are nice and the food's pretty good. I know you live at a big inn on Montressor, but for those of us who lack that privilege this is a good place as far as cheap inns go. Trust me, it's _fine_." 

"Define '_fine_'" Jim muttered. Reynolds tugged him toward the stairs, and Jim reluctantly complied. 

They found their room at the far end of the hallway. It was larger than Jim had expected, but definitely could have done with some more decoration. The walls were bare save for a tiny ship painting and the window, which offered little light from its view into an alleyway. Reynolds pointed him in the direction of the closet to put down his luggage, and Jim was all too glad to comply. It took a bit of maneuvering, but eventually Jim managed to squeeze all his belongings into the narrow space. When he was finished he gazed around the room one more time and shook his head again. 

"Next time Reynolds, let _me_ pick our accommodations." 

"Hey, I said I was sorry." 

"Yeah, I know… Hey, why don't we grab a bite to eat then go look for a printer or something?" 

"Works for me." 

The two of them left the inn in slightly damper spirits then when they'd arrived. Being in the open air did little to cheer Jim up; the location of their inn was poor at best, and walking the dank roads outside of it was even less pleasant. They wandered down the side road for a few minutes before arriving on the main street. This was a bit better than their inn's street; light flooded the roadway and the oppressive stench of packed crowds blended in with the scent of damp wood defrosting from its re-entry into the atmosphere. 

After prodding bits of information out of a few passer-bys, the two managed to find the location of a print shop in the area. They strolled down the street, examining the buildings and enjoying the sunshine. Jim took deep breaths of the air and sighed contentedly. 

"Hey, we're here." Jim looked up, his perfect moment ruined. Above them hung a sign announcing the store they'd stopped in front of to be the Rolen's Print Shoppe. As they went in, Jim's eye wandered over the window, which was plastered with posters from what the shop's earlier achievements. There were many wanted posters, and as he caught sight of a particular one he couldn't help but laugh. Sitting there smirking back at him was none other than the face of John Silver. 

"What's so funny?" Reynolds asked. 

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." 

They went in and found the owner snoozing behind the front desk. It took a bit of shouting and a shake or two, but eventually they roused him from his sleep and inquired the price of printing. After a bit of bargaining they had the price knocked down to a suitable level, and the order for the fliers was placed. The two left the print shop, resolving to pick up and start distributing their fliers as soon as possible. 

******* 

Four days later, Jim and Reynolds had managed to post almost all of their fliers. They'd tacked them on lampposts, slipped them by doorways, stuck them to walls with bubblegum- applied them with anything handy, and anywhere there was space. They were thoroughly exhausted, but it had been worth it. Someone would see the posters, and they would seek out the Odetts Inn to inquire about the two young men and their services. Easy, right?  
  


And so they waited. And waited. And waited. 

"This is starting to look kinda hopeless, Jim." Reynolds remarked as the two sat down to lunch their tenth day. A week had passed, and still no one arrived at the inn. 

Jim sipped his cider and sighed. To be honest, he wasn't too pleased with the results of their efforts either. 

"At this rate we'll have to go enlist at one of those job-seeking places." Reynolds took a few gulps of cider. "And you know how the rates are for those things- we'll wish we'd done it the hard way by the time we're finished paying the fees." 

Jim set down his drink and shook his head. "I can't believe no one's come yet. We're both qualified!" 

  
"Face it Jim, no one hires cadets straight out of school. I mean…really. We might get a tug job or something, but maybe we shouldn't keep our hopes up for a full-fledged voyage." 

"Yeah, I guess you're right…but I really wanted to take the ship out for her first voyage..." 

Reynolds reached over and patted his hand. "Hey, don't worry about it. With enough time and jobs, we'll have a good rep. and someone will commission us for a real voyage. Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?" 

"I guess." He took another sip of cider and let his gaze wander across the dining room. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of someone entering the inn, but he dismissed it. 

Reynolds half-smiled and started to speak again when he suddenly he stopped and tilted his head toward the bar. Jim looked up also. He'd heard both Reynolds and his name spoken, and a quick glance told him that the speaker was the person who had entered the inn a moment before. The bartender pointed a hand toward their table and the person turned their head towards them. Jim nervously waved a hand toward the person, who immediately headed toward them. 

"Just look at what she's holding!" Reynolds squealed. Indeed, on closer observation the person did have the figure of a woman, and rather nicely shaped one at that. And clutched in her fist was undeniably one of their job fliers. 

"This is it, our first client!" Reynolds clapped his hands and drew himself up straight. Jim followed suit, and as an afterthought snagged a chair for their visitor. The woman sat down, and cattish eyes glittered at them from behind a hood. 

"Are you Mister Hawkins and Mister Reynolds?" Her accent was thick, and her voice had a purring aspect to it. 

"Um, yes, that's us." Reynolds managed to say. Jim could barely contain his excitement, and he prayed that it didn't show too obviously. He didn't want to seem any more immature than his resume already made him out to be. 

"I 'ave a job for you then, Mister Hawkins. You are the captain, are you not?" 

Jim nodded. 

"Excellent. I am in need of someone to fetch a few…items for me. Pray tell, would it be too small a job for you to go and get them?" 

Jim scratched his chin. 

"I'll reward you handsomely, Mister Hawkins. It's such a small job…can you do it?" 

"Well, exactly where are these items located?" 

"They are in my ship…my old ship. It was destroyed in the Trocil asteroid belt, and I had aboard a worthy cargo." 

"The Trocil asteroid belt? Are you nuts? At least ten ships a year get torn up in that place!" Reynolds slammed his palms on the table. 

"Well, we- I mean, I- can't find anyone else willing to take the job. So will you, Mister Hawkins? I can even pay you up front, right now- I can only offer you several thousand at the moment, but if you require more I'd be willing to go up to ten." She fluttered her eyelashes at him. 

"T…Ten…Ten thousand dollars?" Jim raised his eyebrows. 

"Conference!" Reynolds hissed, and quickly he pulled Jim forward to bend below the table, and then quickly joined him. 

"So whaddya say? Minus the life-threatening part, it is a simple job, and ten thousand would be more than enough to but better weapons for the ship. Then again, perhaps we should just go for the seven thousand. That way she won't go and tell people we overcharged her." 

"Yeah, but that asteroid belt is dangerous. REALLY dangerous. We simply aren't equipped to handle it!" 

"So we'll watch out for huge rocks flying our way. Really Reno, sometimes you worry too much! I say we take the job. It's easy money." 

"I really don't like this Jim…" 

"Hey, trust me. It'll be fine." 

Reynolds glared at him for a few seconds and sighed. Jim grinned and resurfaced above the tabletop. 

"We'll take the job." 

She smiled and extended a slender, spotted hand, which Jim promptly shook. 

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see the ship before you take off. Just to see what I'm putting my money on, you understand." The woman smiled at him. 

"Oh of course! We can leave right away if you'd like." 

"We can?" Reynolds muttered, glancing at his unfinished chicken. 

"Well…we can leave after we've finished lunch. That is, if it's okay with you ma'am." 

"Luni, please. And it's fine." 

"Are you thirsty, hungry? We'll only be a few moments, but if you'd like something-" 

"A glass of water, please." 

Jim fetched the woman water and set it down before her. She thanked him and took sips of her water while Jim and Reynolds finished their lunch. 

"Thank you, Mister Hawkins." She said when they had all finished. She raised her empty water glass slightly and set it back down the table. 

"Don't mention it. So…let me show you the ship!" 

A short carriage ride later, the three were outside the Third Quarter docks, aptly named for the section of Crescentia it served. Reynolds went to acquire the key for their dock gate from the harbormaster, and Jim started leading the woman toward their boat. They were only a few feet away from the gate when Reynolds came running up with the key. The gate was opened, the gangplank was raised and they were aboard the RLS Destiny. 

As soon as he was aboard, Jim felt an odd sense of relief, though he didn't know he'd been worried in the first place. He clasped his hands behind his back and glanced at Reynolds, who lagged behind. Catching the look Reynolds raised his eyebrows and quickly dashed next to Jim, assuming the role and posture of first mate. Jim grinned and extending a hand bade their customer to examine the ship. 

"As you can see ma'am, the Destiny is a brand new ship. New sails, fresh paint, not a barnacle in sight- in fact, I received her straight out of the ship maker's." 

"She's beautiful." The woman murmured, running her fingers over the railing. 

"Yes, she's great alright- at least, she _will_ be great. I must admit this will be my first voyage with her." 

The woman smiled and waved away the comment. "Think nothing of it, Mister Hawkins. Pray tell, how much room is in the brig? It's an awful lot aboard that ship, and I'd hate to send you out for two trips." 

"Well, how much cargo did your ships brig hold?" 

"Oh, about six thousand pounds. She was not a big ship. The cargo's mostly in crates." 

Jim laughed. "Trust me, six thousand is nothing to the Destiny. We can easily fit that much down there." 

"I am glad to hear it." 

"Anything else you'd like to know?" 

"Hm…well, there is _one_ thing. Tell me Mister Hawkins, what is the condition of your weapons system?" 

"My weapons system? Why do you ask?" 

"Oh, well, there are a lot of asteroids out there, and having a good pair of guns will come in handy for getting rid of the nastier ones." 

"Well…the Destiny comes with standard commercial guns. We'll upgrade to the more powerful models as soon as we have the money to." 

"Hm…" 

Abruptly the woman turned and headed toward the gangplank. Jim and Reynolds exchanged glances and quickly followed.  
  


"Is there a problem miss?" Jim asked, eyes wide. 

"What? Oh, no, no problem. You're hired. This is exactly the kind of boat I was looking for- for the retrieving, I mean. How soon can you leave?" 

"Well, to find a crew might take some time- say, in about five days?" 

"Five days. Fine. Good luck, boys. I will check the ship schedules and find out when you are arriving. Be at your inn the following day and I will come claim my goods. Fare you well." 

"Hey wait, don't you want to give us some contact information or something?" Jim said, dashing down the plank after her. 

"No." She said, and forced her way into the crowd, blending in seamlessly with the multitudes. 

Reynolds came up next to Jim. "Now what was _that _all about?" 

"Weird." Jim muttered. Perhaps Reynolds had been right in not wanting to take the job. But it was too late to back out now; the woman had paid them during the carriage ride, and with no way to find her Jim was duty bound to fulfill her request. He ran a hand through his bangs and sighed. 

"We'll just have to keep our guard up." He said. 

"Jim Hawkins, there's nothing too dangerous for you is there?" 

"Trust me, when you've lived through what I've lived through, everything else seems like kids stuff." 

Reynolds shook his head. "One day Hawkins, you're going to get me killed." 

Jim laughed and gently shook Reynolds' shoulders." 

"One day Reno, you're going to learn to loosen up. We're almost there, but not quite." 

"Ha ha ha. Hey, while we're here we might as well checkup the ship then go find somewhere to hire a crew." 

"Fine by me! Ready, soon-to-be First Mate Reynolds?" 

"Aye, Captain Hawkins!" 

Laughing, they set off to examine the ship. 

***** 

*Gnaws fingernails* Gah, I'm so nervous! My first TP fanfic! Believe it or not, this fic has been under more scrutiny by myself than anything else I've ever written- I didn't post this chapter until after my third revision of it. I'd really appreciate constructive criticism, because I hope to do something different with this story than with my other works- exactly what I'm not sure, but it will be different! 

Other than that, I'd just like to note that I'm not doing any phonetic dialect in this story, or if I do I'll use it sparingly. I'd actually spent quite a bit of time practicing writing pirate-lingo, but I've decided that it is a bit distracting to read, so I'm going to try doing it a different way instead. Pirates will be popping up from time to time, (of course they will, it's a TP fic!) so please tell me whether or not you think my take on the dialect works. All feedback extremely appreciated for this. Thank you in advance! 


	2. In the Asteroid Belt

"Engage artificial gravity!" 

"Yes captain!" 

There was a warped sound as the gravity came on, and Jim and Reynolds, along with their crew, were restored to the ship's deck. Jim tried unsuccessfully to land on his feet, and had to be steadied by a nearby crewmember. 

"Um, thanks." 

"Think nothing of it, sir." 

The crewmember slithered off to take care of his duties. Jim winced when he notice the gooey marks the creature had left on his stark white uniform, and he casually brushed it off. 

"Power to seventy percent, heading North by…20 degrees, Mister Kari!" 

Reynolds leaned down and yelled the power request into a tube next to the mast. By the wheel, the many-armed Mr. Kari saluted Jim. 

"Yes cap'n!" The creature said and slowly the ship turned in the desired direction. 

"Power's up to seventy percent, captain." Said Reynolds. 

"Thank you Mr. Reynolds." Jim said, winking at his friend. 

Reynolds rolled his eyes. "Well captain, I've given the crew a briefing of our mission, and I've given Kari the exact coordinates of our destination." 

"Everything has to be perfect with you, doesn't it?" 

"Not perfect. Just organized." His eyes widened and he turned from Jim. 

"Speaking of organized, I'd better make sure that the cook has rationed out all the provisions properly. The last thing we need is for the crew to mutiny against us for lack of food." 

He marched off the deck, auburn braid swaying behind him. Jim shook his head and grinned. 

"We're out of the planet's gravity range, cap'n! Should I aim her for the coordinates now?" Kari called from the wheel. 

"Yeah! Thanks Mr. Kari!" 

The engines gunned and in a swirl of gold and red fire the RLS Destiny shot off into space, headed toward the wrecked ship. 

***** 

The eternal dark of space was never so oppressive as it was in the Trocil asteroid belt. The nearest stars were light years away, and ever the brightest offered little more light than a candle perched on a mountaintop. The asteroids themselves were lost in the dark, lying in wait for any ships foolish enough to brave their treacherous course. And it seemed tonight their lusts would be satisfied, for gliding through the belt was none other than the RLS Destiny. 

Even with headlights at full blast, the Destiny was half blind amidst the massive asteroids. In the crow's nest an Optoc was straining all six of its eyes into the night, aided only by the light of a lantern suspended above its head. The majority of the crew had gathered on the deck in stony silence, eyes darting and muscles tensing at the vessel's every creak and sway. Jim stood at the bow, staring intently into the cluster of asteroids. A spyglass was slung from his belt, rendered useless in the dark. From the crows nest came the sharp cry of the Optoc, and the helmsman quickly veered the boat left. The crew shuddered; the only sounds were the steady hums of the ship's engine. 

"Captain, I see her, I see her! The ship, she is right over there!" 

"Where? How far?" 

"It's too hard to see! Kari, turn 'er right, we're about to hit the side of a big one!" 

The helmsman obeyed, and the ship veered starboard. 

The Optoc leaned forward and trained all its eyes on the wreck. "She doesn't look too far from here Captain. Kari, slight left!" 

"Great eyes Mr. Anaro!" Jim turned his head. "Take directions from Anaro now, Kari." 

"Ay, cap'n." 

The Destiny slowly made its way to the wreck floating in the middle of space. As the rays of the Destiny's headlights hit its side the entire crew could make out the fractured and collapsed middle of the boat, along with the odd red blobs floating around the vessel. 

"What _are_ those?" Jim wondered aloud. 

"Blood." A crewmember volunteered. "When an asteroid hits a ship, it's usually the gravity system that gets hit first. Dead people plus blood equals…well…" He waved a hand at the drops, then tilted his head thoughtfully."Makes a pretty paint show though." 

Jim scrunched his face and discreetly dodged a nearing blood drop. As he did so he bumped into something solid. He let out a yelp as he came face to face with his first mate. 

"Reynolds, don't sneak up on me like that! And where were you, anyways?" In the dark, Reynolds' pallid skin looked positively ghastly, and for a brief moment Jim wondered if he wasn't looking at a ghost from the other ship's departed crew. 

"I was down by the longboats, gettin' them ready to go. That ship looks bigger than Luni said it was. Might take a bit longer than we thought." 

"I hope not. The sooner we get out of this place, the better." 

"What's the matter Hawkins? Scared the big bad ghosties are gonna get ya?" 

"Ha ha ha. I'm worried about these asteroids, not the ghosts. I'm nineteen, not two. And it's _Captain_ Hawkins, thank you very much. " 

"Yeah well, so am I, and for once I agree with you, _captain_. I'll go down with the crew to pick up the stuff and you stay aboard." 

"Considering I'm the captain, I have to stay aboard anyway." 

"Tck, don't remind me. I could've been a captain you know! I had the skills!" 

"You were petrified of mutiny. And pirates. And solar storms. And supernovas. And-" 

"Alright alright, I get the picture! So my dream death isn't to be sucked into space. Can you blame me?" 

Jim smiled and ruffled his hair. "Relax man, I was kidding. Hey, don't you have a job to do?" 

"Ay ay _sir_!" 

Reynolds turned on his heel and made an exaggerated clicking motion with his shoes. He then turned his head and addressed the crew. 

"Everybody ready?" A few people muttered and groaned. 

"Alrighty then! Company, move _out_!" 

He trooped off the deck, accompanied by a far less amused group of crewmembers. Moments later there was a faint whirring as the ship's bottom opened up and out slipped two longboats. Jim went to the railing to watch the crew work. Hours passed; eventually the contents of the other ship's cargo bay were loaded into the Destiny's hold and the crew returned to the ship. 

"Nice job Reynolds." Jim said as his friend slumped up to him. 

Reynolds stared at him. "Remind me again why you couldn't break your back doing hard labor?" 

"Because you need to work on your leadership skills. C'mon, let's get out of here." 

"Amen to that." 

Jim turned and waved a hand at the helmsmen. 

"Mr. Kari, ready to turn her around! Mr. Anaro, try and take us back the way we came!" 

The Destiny began to spin around, putting the wrecked ship at their back. It had just gotten three quarters through its turn when a brilliant orange flare lit up the sky behind them. Instantly, everybody on the galleon gazed at the wreck, from behind which was slowly rising a sleek silver shape. 

"What the hell is that?" Someone near Jim shouted. 

But he knew. It was the same type of ship Silver had when he burned down the Benbow; such ships were built for speed and stealth, perfect for the type of people that used them. 

"Pirates!" Jim shouted. "Battle stations everybody!" 

But the crew needed no coaxing. While they hurried to their posts Jim ran to the weapons room and distributed guns to the crewmembers. Reynolds went into the stateroom and got guns for Jim and himself. 

"Ready?" Jim released the safety on the revolver and glanced at his friend. 

"As I'll ever be." Reynolds readied his weapon and tensed. 

Like lightning the pirate ship appeared at their right and the Destiny's gunner leapt into action. There came sounds of screaming and the dull thud of metal shards hitting wood. Suddenly one, two, three people made a leap from the opposing ship and onto the Destiny's deck. They brandished their swords and leapt at the Destiny's crew. Others followed, though a few picked off by the Destiny's guns. Those that made it across engaged the crew in battle, and soon the air was filled with clashing swords and the short pops of bullets. 

"Jim, behind you!" 

Jim whirled and fired, but his aim was off. In a blur of spots something slammed into him and knocked him to the deck, pinning him. He wrestled with the figure for a few moments before recognition took hold. A gasp escaped his lips. 

"Hello, Mister Hawkins." Luni flashed him a fang-filled smile. 

"You?! What's going on? Why are you attacking the Destiny?" 

"Because, Mister Hawkins, our current ship is old and badly in need of repair. We've long been in the market for a new one. When I saw your fliers I knew conning a couple of kids like you would be easy." 

Jim swayed violently to the side, briefly upsetting her balance. He raised a knee to throw her off his torso, but she quickly regained her position. 

"Nice try, kid." She tilted her head to the side and continued her speech. "I must thank you for retrieving those goods for us though. We were in the process of attacking that ship when the asteroid floated nearer and we had to flee. I didn't think there'd be enough room in our hold for all its goods, and we simply _hate _making round trips." 

"Jim, are you okay?" Luni jerked her head in the direction of the voice. Jim turned as well, and for a brief moment caught sight of his first mate. But a second later Reynolds whirled around and fired a shot, then was lost in the fray. 

"Reynolds? Reynolds!" 

Luni leaned over Jim's face and tossed him a toothy smile. "Forget him. You've still got _me_ to worry about." 

She reared back a fist and punched Jim in the jaw. He grunted and spat blood, then used his free fist to grab a tuft of her hair. He yanked her head sideways and slammed it on the deck. She howled and Jim took the opportunity to knee her in the gut and throw her away. He released his grip on her hair, taking a few thin strands with him. She grabbed the top of her head and glared at him. He crouched into a stance. She leapt at him, claws brandished, eyes flaring. He dove to the side, avoiding the brunt of her charge but still catching a slash in his shoulder. She whirled, cracked her knuckles and went for another charge. 

After a few seconds of grappling, Jim had the upper hand. He shoved her against the weapons room door, threw her to the deck and pinned her the same way she had him. She howled and spat curses at him, all of which he ignored. 

"I'd been meaning to ask you." Jim said once she'd settled down a bit. "What happened to your accent?" 

"Oh, that? Just a little something I cooked up to fool stupid kids like you." She smirked. "By the way, I never did thank you properly for the ship. I promise we'll take real good care of it." 

"What-?" 

When Jim saw the man it was too late. Luni's eyes reflected the creature, arms raised with plank in hand. Jim turned, seeing as he did so that the limp body of his first mate was being carried away. The plank came down with a loud _clunk_ against the side of his head, and he knew nothing. 

********* 

A few notes on random items. First of all, thank you for all the reviews I've received so far. I must agree with Queenbean3 about my lack of description; I'd actually noticed it during my second revision but forgot to go back and add some in. Hopefully this chapter has remedied it. Also, a very special thank you goes out to my anonymous reviewer. I was actually planning to ignore Book-Master's review, but that someone actually went to the trouble of attacking it is very kind. ^_^ And as for whether or not Sivvy (A.K.A Silver) is going to be in my story- *grabs roll of duct tape and wraps it around her head* My lips have been quite painfully sealed. Excuse me while I go scream in absolute agony. 

Last of all, a quick check of dictionary.com has revealed that a brig does not double as a cargo hold! Fancy that. ^^; I hope my silly little error can be forgiven. 

This chapter was actually shorter than I'd intended it to be. But I've decided to split the story into smaller parts rather than huge chapters. Another first for me. ^_^ Ta ta! 


	3. Rescue Me!

"_Jim_!" 

There was blood trickling from his temple, of that much he was aware. The world was awash in fuzzy pinks and greens, a magical rainbow of pain. 

"_Jim_!" 

His throat was raw and aching, made worse by the pounding of his head. He was blind, and it hurt to breathe. And god, what was that noise? 

"_JIM_!" 

"Guh?" 

"Jim!" 

"Hnyah?" 

"Jim, _wake up!_" 

Someone was shaking him. Jim tried to open his eyes, but a bolt of pain prevented the motion. He grunted and forced his lids into a squinting position and saw his reflection gazing back at him from two chocolaty pools. He blinked a few times, lolled his tongue out like a dog. The chocolate eyes moved, blinked; someone shook him again. Inarticulate noises escaped Jim's throat, and just as he prepared to return to unconscious, someone slapped him. 

"Gah! Reynolds?" 

"Yes, thank you! You've been out for at least an hour now. God Jim, don't scare me like that!" 

"Hn? Oh, I'm sorry…where are we?" 

"In a longboat. We're floating by the wreck. We've been marooned!" 

It took a few moments for the information to process, but when it did Jim's head jerked. 

"Marooned, what?! Where's the Destiny? What happened?" 

"The pirates took it, along with the crew." Reynolds massaged his scalp. "The last thing I remember, I'd caught a fist in the eye. When I came to, we were both lying here." 

"But…how did we get here?" 

"Luni I'll bet. I can't believe she betrayed us! Well actually I can, especially after that incident on the boat- but damn it, I can't believe she stranded us!" He clenched his fists and let out a snarl, then dragged his fingers faster through his disheveled hair. 

Jim reached up a hand to touch his temple and came in contact with blood-dampened cloth. He grimaced and turned to examine their surroundings. The only available light came from a lantern suspended from the boat's tiny mast. They were floating near the wrecked ship, and Jim could clearly make out some of the larger slivers of wood and shattered remains of furniture from where the hull had caved in. He shuddered, and then reached up to touch the bandage again. Suddenly something occurred to him, and turned to his friend. 

"Hey Reno, did you do this?" 

"What the bandages? Yeah." He patted a large white cloth next to his leg. "I cut of a few pieces of the tarp and used 'em to wrap your head. You were bleeding kind of badly earlier." 

"God, how long was I out?" 

"Long enough to miss the nice hunk of rock that was shooting our way. I had to use up what was left of the energy reserves to dodge the damn thing. I can't believe I'm going to die like this!" 

"We're completely out of power?!" Jim scrambled to the control panel and desperately tapped the buttons. The longboat gave a few weak bursts of energy and finally sputtered into silence. 

"I don't believe it." Jim looked to the left, then to the right. Aside from the wreck, there were no other ships in sight. And the crushed hull of their neighbor was looking more foreboding by the moment. He buried his face in his hands and groaned. God, what if they didn't find them there? Their carcasses would float forever in space, lost and forgotten. 

"There's gotta be some way-" 

"I've tried, Jim, every way! We're stuck! Don't you get it? Stuck! We're going to whither and die and it's all your fault!" 

"_My_ fault? What did _I_ do?" 

"I tried to warn you about the asteroid belt; I told you, Trocil was no place for a ship like the Destiny. I told you we should have waited for the safer jobs, but noooo. Mr. Fearless just had to go strike a deal with the first chick who saunters in waving around a wad of cash!" 

"Oh yeah? Well, I didn't see you leaping up to stop me. You know, that's exactly why you never made captain; you don't have any backbone! The only thing you do is worry over all the details while everyone else goes out and does the hard stuff!" 

"Excuse me? Who hired the crew for this mission? Me. Who made sure the crew was properly outfitted? Me. When we were in school, who helped you pass the midterms? Me. Who took the fall for your little incident with Mr. Exberry and the creamed spinach? ME. You're the one who doesn't do any work; all you care about is skipping merrily around your galleon while everyone else does all the crap you don't feel like doing!" 

"I'M THE CAPTAIN! THE CREW IS _SUPPOSED_ TO DO ALL THE CRAP I DON'T FEEL LIKE DOING!" 

The two glared at each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, Reynolds leaned back and combed his fingers through his hair. 

"Alright, alright. This is stupid. We're getting riled up over nothing. Hey Jim…I'm sorry." 

Jim crossed his arms, scowled and said nothing. 

"Hey man, don't be like that! I'm just a little nervous, that's all." He scanned the skies around them. "I mean…this situation…it looks kind of hopeless." 

"Nothing is hopeless. Improbable, unlikely, but never hopeless." 

"Yeah, well, I wish I had your optimism." 

Jim snorted. "So do I." 

They were silent for a long, long time. 

"So…what now?" 

"Now," Jim said, "We wait." 

"For?" 

"Either for us to die or for some ship to wander along and rescue us. Take your pick." 

"Um…I'll take the last one, thanks." 

Jim smirked and turned to stare into space. Stretched out in the distance were hundreds of twinkling specks, pinpricks in the sky. He sighed. One of those pinpricks was the star of Montressor. Would he ever get to see it again? And then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the dots move. He started at the motion, leaned over the side of the boat and peered into the sky. Had he been imagining things? But no… no, there it was again! 

"What is that thing?" Reynolds asked. He squinted over Jim's shoulder and his drawn expression dissolved into a grin. 

"Jim…is that…is that a ship?!" 

"I think so!" The two embraced quickly and parted with short, babbling sentences. 

"We're going to be saved!" Reynolds clapped. "I don't believe it! A ship actually came this way!" 

Jim nodded. "Let's just hope it _does_ come this way." 

They made themselves comfortable and watched the light dance its way across the sky. More than once Jim cursed the ship for taunting them as it veered out of sight. But every time the light returned, growing as big as their hopes were. A while later Jim could feel his head nodding, and the light blinked in and out of focus as his eyelids closed. He yawned and his head lolled to his shoulder. He'd barely even gotten into a shallow slumber when Reynolds let out a whoop and shook the longboat. 

"It's getting closer, it's almost here!" Jim's head jerked and his eyes slowly followed Reynolds' jabbing finger. At its end a brilliant light blinded Jim's eyes, but when they adjusted their savior finally came into focus. 

From the rays cast by its headlights he could make out the large, stark wooden hull of the vessel, and see its glowing sails cutting through the night. He cupped a hand to his ear and heard the slapping of its flag in the breeze. Along with it came the voices of the ship's crew, faint at first, but growing stronger with proximity. And somewhere on deck there was a low thumping noise as people wailed out the words of a bawdy song. 

"At least they sound happy." Reynolds muttered. 

"Yeah, and let's hope they're friendly. Do you think they can see us?" 

Suddenly, there came a cry from the ship. Hands appeared bearing lanterns, followed by faces peering down at the two of them. 

"That answer your question?" Reynolds gestured. 

"Hello down there!" Someone shouted from above. Jim removed the lantern from its hook and raised it toward the speaker. In the combined light Jim identified the speaker as an angular-faced man around his age. 

"Hello to you too! Would you mind giving us a hand? We're kind of stuck out here." 

"Hmm…that depends. You two aren't escaping convicts or anything, are you?" 

"Um…no." 

"You aren't? Well, I suppose it's all right then. Wick, Guri, go open up the bay doors and let in our guests! 

A minute later the longboat bay at the ship's bottom opened. From within came the voices of Wick and Guri, inviting them aboard the ship. 

"I'm sorry, but our longboats out of energy!" Reynolds called. "Could you please come and get us?" 

There were groans from the ship, but a longboat was sent. The two climbed into the tiny boat, and the creature at the controls identified itself as Wick. He extended a scaly hand for the two to shake, beady eyes glittering in amusement. Soon the entire party was back aboard the ship and the two were checked for weapons by a large, grizzled, spine-backed creature that introduced itself as Guri. After they were deemed harmless Jim and Reynolds were lead on deck by Wick. Awaiting them was the man Jim had seen from the longboat. The man had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot impatiently, but his face betrayed a warm smile. When Jim approached him the man extended his hand and offered Jim a warm, callused handshake. 

"Name's Gregory Redd," The man grinned, "Captain of The Red Death. And who might you two be?" 

Jim knew he was going to like the captain just by looking at him. He wasn't dressed in the stiff garments of most traditional captains; he wore a baggy, un-tucked, pinkish-orange shirt and long green pants, finished off with rather shoddy looking buckle shoes. 

"Um, I'm Jim Hawkins, captain of the RLS Destiny and this is Reynolds, my first mate." 

Gregory shook Reynolds' hand, and then turned a curious eye to Jim. "You're a captain? Well unless that shoddy longboat out there is your vessel, I'd say something bad happened to your real ship. It wasn't that wreck out there, was it?" 

"No, that was a ship whose goods we were salvaging. We'd just finished the job when we got ambushed by pirates and our ship and crew were taken." 

"Pirates, eh? Well, that's a nasty bit of luck. And I suppose no one knows you're out here, right?" 

Jim nodded. 

"I thought as much. Academy graduates are usually smart enough to avoid places like Trocil." 

"Hey, we only accepted this job because…wait…how did you know I went to the Academy?" 

"Well for starters your uniform is standard issue to Academy alumni. That and the fact that all RLS ships are academy ships. You must've ranked pretty high in your class to get one of those." 

Jim smiled slightly. "Well, yeah…but hey! How do you know so much about Academy procedures?" 

"Eh…well, let's just say that I've had quite a few run-ins with Academy folk in the past. They're an aggressive bunch, I'll tell you that. Have a nasty way of policing the shipping channels by some of bigger planets…but enough about that. Now tell me, is there anywhere special you were hoping to go?" 

"I've got find my ship." Jim said. "I'm not going home without it." 

"Determination, eh? I like that in a person. But you know the odds of you finding your ship now are zero to none. This part of space isn't very populated, but there are plenty of places to hide, even for a galleon." 

"But it's only been a few hours! They couldn't have gotten _that_ far." 

Gregory tipped his hat and scratched his hair. "Yes, but still-" 

"Actually, Jim's got a point." Reynolds interjected. "By the time we got to Trocil we had just enough energy left over to make it about halfway home. Unless they were heading toward Crescentia, they wouldn't have had enough energy left in the sails to get very far out of the belt." 

"You came here all the way from Crescentia?" Reynolds nodded. 

"My, then you're _really_ out of your neck of the woods." He scrunched his face; reddening his cheeks and making his freckles stand out. 

"So getting from here to halfway to Crescentia would take about…five days. Now, assuming they weren't heading to Crescentia- unlikely because the police would have spotted them right away- the nearest planet within five days distance is Ulor." 

"Ulor? Now why does that name sound familiar?" Reynolds scratched his chin. He glanced at Jim who shrugged in response. 

"Ulor," Gregory offered, "The Outlaw Planet." 

"I've still never heard of it." Jim muttered, but Reynolds slowly nodded his head and furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Yeah, yeah, I remember now…this was a question on our Etherium History test. Ulor was the only planet that remained neutral when the empire was formed. Empire laws don't apply there, so a lot of fugitives go there to avoid the police." 

"It's not the nicest planet in these parts, but if your ship is anywhere it would have to be there." Gregory said. 

Jim nodded. "Alright then, Ulor it is. Can you take us there?" 

"Well…we _could_, but-" 

"Please? It's on the way, after all." 

"It is, but we have to deliver a shipment of…well, we just have to deliver something, and if we stop at Ulor it's going to set us back a bit." 

"Well, can you at least take us part of the way? We can take a longboat for the rest." 

Gregory snorted. "And risk being a boat short in an emergency? I'm sorry, but that just won't do. However…I don't think my client would be too upset if his shipment was a little late…after all, his letter didn't sound _that_ urgent. So perhaps I can take you after all." 

Jim grinned and started to reply, but Gregory raised a finger to silence him. 

"I can take you under one condition. No wait, make that two. First of all, you're going to work for your keep. Can you cook?" 

Jim nodded. "Good, you can assist Guri in the kitchen. What about you?" He asked, turning to Reynolds. "What can you do?" 

"Well…I'm pretty good with guns…maybe I could help maintain the ones on your ship?" 

Gregory arched an eyebrow and rubbed his chin. "Guns, eh? Well now…guns. You know, I might have a special assignment for you. Yes, yes, I think I do…" 

Reynolds and Jim exclaimed glances, and the former waved a hand gently by Gregory's face. "Um, pardon me sir, but what was the second condition you were talking about?" 

"Second condition? Oh, yes! Whatever you see on this ship, you two mustn't breath a word of it to anybody. _Anybody_. Especially anyone official-looking who's asking too many questions. I won't bother with detailed threats, but let's just say that I have friends in low places that would be more than happy to keep you from temptation. Permanently. Am I making myself clear?" 

Reynolds bit his lip and glanced at Jim, who widened his eyes and shrugged. Slowly the two nodded. 

"So you both agree? Excellent! Wick!" The large creature slithered over and hissed at the captain. 

"Wick, kindly show these gentleman to their quarters. Give them some spare clothes and a bit of food, and then find something to keep them occupied." 

Wick nodded. He turned and beckoned the boys to follow with a thick, scaly hand. Before they left the captain tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "Wick, when you're done, show the red haired one to our cargo hold. See if he knows anything about our shipment and set him to work cleaning the lot." 

Wick flicked out his tongue and nodded. He twitched his tail in the direction of a door. 

"Follow me." He hissed, and they did. 

"This is where the crew stays." He said as they entered the door. Cots were placed irregularly around the room bunk-bed style. Wick directed them to two vacant ones in the back of the room. 

"This is where you'll be sleeping. I'll see about fetching you some spare outfits from the crew, but don't be surprised if they don't fit properly. And as for food, I'm sure you'll be able to find the galley on your own. If you're hungry go ask Guri for something" 

"Um, thanks a lot sir." Jim said. 

"Hmph." He smirked and started to leave the room. 

"Food, thank goodness!" Reynolds began, "God knows I was starve-" 

Suddenly something latched onto his arm. He yelped and pulled back, realizing that the object was in fact Wick's tail. He turned and saw him staring back at him, remnants of his earlier smirk still on his face. 

"Cap'n wanted me to show you to the cargo hold. Best get it done now, so you know what you'll be doing for the rest of the day." 

"Oh, um…okay, but…would you mind letting go of my arm?" 

Wick snorted but released his grip. Reynolds sighed in relief and tossed a Jim a helpless glance as he followed the creature out. 

_'Wonder what they want him for?'_ Jim thought. He felt the urge to follow, but decided against it. After all, being nosy wouldn't have made a good impression on their rescuers. Besides, Reynolds would tell him all the details the next time they were alone, so it was just a matter of patience. 

He examined his jacket, wincing at the grimy state of the costly attire. He shrugged it off and dropped it onto the bottom cot, feeling much cooler now that he was free of the thick fabric. A few moments later a large slug-like creature descended into the room and began pulling duffel bags from below the cots. He rummaged through a few and pulled out random clothing items, which he gave to Jim. 

"You take care of those." He said. "Crew won't like it, you go around messin' 'em up." 

"I'll try to." Jim said. He quirked an eyebrow at a few of the clothing articles as they were handed to him. A 6-sleeved shirt with no back, pants at least three sizes too big, a nightshirt that looked like it had been cut from curtains, and a few other things that were obviously meant for different species and tastes. He accepted them gratefully, however, as well as the ones that were for Reynolds. 

"You go down to galley when you finished, gotta help Guri down there." The creature burbled. Jim nodded and thanked it again, and it wriggled back up the stairs. Once it was gone he quickly discarded the rest of his uniform and slipped into one of the roomier pairs of shirt and pants. He was instantly grateful for the belts that accompanied both, for without them he would have gotten lost within the folds of the outfit. When he was finished changing Jim made his way onto the deck where he was directed to the galley. 

When Jim entered, Guri was slumped down in a chair peeling potatoes with one massive foot resting atop the bin. He took one look at Jim, grunted and went back to his chore. 

"Um, hello sir." Jim said, twisting the fabric of his sleeve. "The captain said I was supposed to help you?" 

"Hm." Guri raised a claw and gestured toward a chair on the other side of the barrel. Jim took a seat and saw the amount of potatoes still waiting to be peeled. He had to suppress a groan as he picked up a knife and a spud and set to work. He hadn't set foot in this type of kitchen since his adventures on the Legacy, and he wasn't exactly thrilled to be in one again. He looked at Guri, who was going steadily through his pile with stoic silence. Jim coughed, but Guri didn't look up. He sighed and went back to his work. Today was going to be a long, _long_ day. 


End file.
